Oil well device



Marchi0, 1936.

c. J. WILKINSON OIL WELL DEVICE 'Filed Aug. 6, 1954 ATTORNY PatentedMar. l0, 1936 UNITED STATES mfrsiv'r' -o-FFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to oil well devices and particularly to a novelmeans for interconnecting stands of drill pipe.

In the well known rotary system of well drilling, stands of drill pipeare interconnected through the medium of tool joints. Thus, during thedrilling of a well, stands of drill pipe are constantly added as thedrilling proceeds. If for any reason it becomes necessary to removedrill pipe, said drill pipe isl removed in stands and the stands brokenat the tool joints. During the drilling of a well, various and sundrydiiiiculties are often encountered, such as twistoffs, breakage orunscrewing of the bit, drill coupling or tool joints, and when suchdiiiculties are encountered, it often becomes necessary to withdraw thedrill pipe. However, if the drill pipe or bit should become frozen orstuck within the well hole, various methods are resorted to to removethe same.

For instance, the drill pipe may be washed over, so as to cut away theformation, whereupon an outside or inside cutter may be utilized to cutthe drill pipe and effect a release of the same. During this operation,the washing-over occurs as close as possible to the part that is frozen.This, however, is often at considerable distance above the bit,-from 50to 300 feet, and perhaps more. After the drill pipe is removed insections and placed in the derrick, it becomes necessary to remove thesh from the well hole. To accomplish this, various means may beutilized, such as a jar, to which is attached an overshot or a grab. Ifthe jar does not facilitate the removal of the sh, then the well may beabandoned or side tracking attempted. The seriousness of the difcultiesabove mentioned becomes increasingly apparent as the depth of the wellhole increases. For instance, the inventor is at present drilling a wellwhich is now down 7370 feet. At 5400 feet, it became necessary to cutthe drill pipe due to the fact that it became frozen. It was impossibleto unscrew the drill pipe after it became frozen and it was backed oifat 4900 feet. In order to remove the 500 feet of drill pipe left withinthe hole, washing-over the drill pipe and cutting the same becamenecessary. This required 37 days of time and cost $14,000.00.

My invention has for an object the provision of means adapted toovercome, to a considerable extent, the necessity of washing-over drillpipe or cutting the same, and said invention is adapted to permit drillpipe to be readily removed from a well hole in sections, the part beingfrozen, such as the bit, being readily disconnected from the drill pipe.In the before-mentioned cutting job, it might be stated that if thepresent invention had been installed, it would have been possible tohaverremoved the drill pipe in less than 24 hours of time, whereupon thebit and drill collar could have been shed out, and the vcost would nothave exceeded, for the entire job, the sum of $30000.

My vinventionalso contemplates other novel featuresa'nd uses, and by wayof example, when drill pipe is being removed from Athe well hole, it ispossible to break the joint and unscrew lsections of the drill pipewithoutturning the sections of-drill pipe. This is a feature ofimportance as it is readily appreciated by those skilled in the art thatthe pipe is protected to -a better extent when it ris'not turned ortwisted and that it is easier to handle. Furthermore, when the drillpipe is inserted within. the well hole, it is unnecessary toturn-therpipe in the derrick when interconnecting sections. Manyderricks in. California are 1.10 feet high and the sections of drillpipe range from 88 feet upward, in length. Hence, turning of the drillpipe is a factor which may be easily avoided-with the present invention.

Other objects of the invention will be detailed during the descriptionthereof.

The invention has for further objects the provision of a device of thecharacterstated, which is simple of construction, positive in operation,easily applied to drill pipe, fool proof, and superior to tool -jointsnow known to the inventor.

With the above mentioned and other objects in View, the inventionconsists inthe novel and useful provision, formation, construction,association, and interrelation of parts, members, and features, all asshown in a certain embodiment in the accompanying drawing, describedgenerally. and more particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of my invention shown in a drill string,the same being within a well hole,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary View, partly in vertical section, showing theinvention interconnecting lengths of drill-pipe,

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and,

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure l.

Referring with particularity to the drawing, the improved tool joint isdesignated as an entirety by the numeral I, andthe same includes members2, 3 and 4. The member 2 is provided at one end 5 with a skirt 6, theskirt having an external diameter somewhat less than the externaldiameter of the body .1. Both the skirt and the body are internallyprovided with ,a tapered screw-threaded box 8. The said skirt is formedwith one or more bores 9. The structure is such that a drill pipe I0will be received within the confines of the skirt and in engagement withthe threads of the box 8 and the said drill pipe after engagement withsaid threads is adapted to be maintained against unscrewing by welding,

brazing, or otherwise securing the skirt to the periphery of the pipeand in the zone of the bore or bores 9. In Figure 2 suitable material IIis within said bore, and secured to a portion of the periphery of thedrill pipe III. VAs is customary, the member 2 is provided with' alongitudinally extending circulation opening or water course I2,communicating with the drill pipe I0.

external diameter than the body A1. Interposed between the shoulder I3and the portion I4 is an externally tapered threaded part I5. Theportion I4 is provided with a tapered box I6, internally formed withdiametrically disposed grooves or keyways I1 and I8. The joint member 3includes a body I9 formed with a central bore 20 providing a watercourse. The body I9 is internally enlarged in diameter at 2 I, theenlarged diameter portion being internally tapered and threaded at 22.The part I9 is likewise provided with bores or openings 23.

The body I9 is formed with an external annular flange 24 providingshoulders 25 and 26. At 2'I is a tapered pin formed with diametricallydisposed keys 28 andV 29. The tapered pin is adapted to be receivedwithin the tapered box I6, the keys 28 and 29 fitting, respectively,within the ways I'I and I8, thus affording a splined connection betweenthe joint members 2 and 3. When the joint members are cooperating, theupper end or the upper extremity of the part I4 rests against theshoulder 26.

A drill pipe 30 has its threaded end in engagement with the threads 22and after the drill pipe is positioned within said box, it may besecured against unthreading by welding, brazing, or the like, throughthe openings 23, and in the same manner that the drill pipe I wassecured to the skirt 6.

The member 4 is adapted to maintain the two parts of the joint incooperative locked relationship. This member 4 constitutes a collar, oneend of which is provided with an inwardly extending annular ange 3|, andinward from the opposite end thereof, the collar is tapered andscrew-threaded at 32. The external diameter of this collar issubstantially the same as the external diameter of the body 'I of thepart 2. As will observed upon viewing Figure 2, the collar is free toslide upon the portion I9 of the joint member 3, the inner diameter ofthe ange 3I closely approximating the diameter of the part I9. When thejoint members 2 and 3 are in cooperative engagement, the threads 32 ofthe collar may coengage with the Athreads I3 with the inner surface ofthe annular ange 3I engaging the shoulder 25 of the flange 24.l

' The body 'I is provided with one or more annular grooves 33 adapted toreceive rings 34. These rings have a portion thereof extending outwardlybeyond the surface of the body.

The operation, uses and advantages of the invention just described areas follows:

If we assume a series of the improved joints of the character justdescribed connecting sections of drill pipe, it becomes evident that anunscrewing Vof the sections of the drill pipe at said tool joints willnot occur. Referring to the example shown in Figure 1, the usual drillcoupling is sho-wn at 35 and which coupling secures the drill pipe tothe fish-tail bit 36. Oftentimes while drilling a well hole, the drillerencounters what is known as hard shell, as illustrated at 31.

Said member 2 is provided with a, shoulder I3 and with an uniformdiameter portion I4 of lesser i This hard shell is hard formation.During the drilling of the hard shell, the bit often becomes worn andout of gauge, with the result that when it breaks through the hard shelland encounters the formation therebeneath, which is usually viscous, thebit becomes balled, with the result that when it is attempted towithdraw the bit, it is found that it is quite impossible to do so. As aresult, various procedures, such as washingover, cutting, and the like,must be resorted to. With my invention, when the bit becomes stuck, therotary table may be reversed and the pin of the bit 36 unscrewed fromthe coupling 35, as illustrated in Figure 1. Thus, the different standsof pipe may be withdrawn in the customary manner, and the bit maythereafter be shed for or sidetracked as circumstances indicate orrequire. However, it is to be observed that the drill pipe-is uncoupledat the zone ofthe bit, a fact that hardly ever occurs in actual practiceunder present drilling conditions. As the stands of drill pipe arelifted after the bit has been released from the coupling, the welloperator in the rig breaks the connection between the locking collar 4and the joint member 2, whereupon the tapered pin of the member 3 may bewithdrawn from the tapered box of the member 2 carrying with the member3 the locking collar 4. It is evident that no rotation of the pipe 30 isnecessary in order to release the part as is now necessary. Pipe tongsmay be utilized for turning the member 4. As the engagement between thecollar 4 and the part 2 is effected by coarse threads, it is a simplematter to separate the two members.

The rings 34 act to protect any casing against which the tool jointmight otherwise impinge, for the purpose of saving the casing andlikewise saving the tool joint against wear. As before stated, anynumber of these rings may be utilized.

The device is very quickly assembled, is positive in its action, affordsassurance against unscrewing of the tool joint, and assures readyremoval of the drill pipe when the bit becomes stuck from any causewhatsoever.

It is obvious that various changes and modications and variations may bemade in practicing the invention in departure from the particulardescription and the showing thereof by the drawing, without departingfrom the true spirit of the invention and the scope as defined by theappended claim.

I claim:

In a tool joint, a separate pin member having its pin end tapered andprovided with a plurality of radial keys and an integral externalflange, a separate box member having a thick body throughout the majorportion of its length, said body being provided at its box end with areduced outer diameter and an internal tapered bore slotted to receivethe keys of the pin, a portion of said reduced diameter extending belowthe plane of the tapered bore and being threaded and outwardly tapered,and a connecting collar slidable on the pin member having an internalflange for stop engagement with the flange on said member, said collarbeing internally threaded and outwardly tapered for locking engagementwith the threaded and tapered portion of the box member whereby themembers are longitudinally coupled below the plane of the pin and boxengagement.

CLEVELAND J. WILKINSON.

